


New Friends, Old Enemies

by 18lzytwner



Series: ThunderCats Fourth Series [1]
Category: Thundercats (1985)
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-09-22
Updated: 2019-04-01
Packaged: 2019-07-15 10:45:16
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 29
Words: 19,120
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16061495
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/18lzytwner/pseuds/18lzytwner
Summary: Takes place just after "ThunderCats Ho!, Part 5". The new ThunderCats have slipped into a routine at Cat's Lair but how long will that last? Also, what's wrong with Lion-O? The Thundrainium exposure should have been limited and yet...





	1. Chapter 1

It had been a long week but finally everything had calmed down. While the mission to rescue the new ThunderCats Pumyra, Ben-Gali, and Lynx-O had not gone off without a hitch, they were all alive and grateful for it. Today dawned anew and hopefully so did the peace that came from defeating Mumm-Ra and the Mutants.

"Thundera to Lion-O, come in Lion-O," Cheetara chuckled as she waved her hand in front of the King's face. They were now seated at breakfast and the lion had seemingly left the room mentally.

"Your food is getting cold," Panthro spoke up.

"Huh sorry. I guess I didn't get as much sleep as I thought I had," the lion finally blinked and looked down at his now room temperature candy fruit pancakes.

"Good thing you're not on duty right away then. I suggest you head down to the Med Bay when we're done here. I want to make sure that you aren't suffering after effects of the Thundrainium exposure," Tygra gave him a look.

"Would you mind if I accompanied you? I do have medical training though regrettably I have not been able to keep up with any technical journals since we landed on Third Earth," Pumyra cautiously joined the conversation. She and her friends were brand new and while they felt welcome at Cat's Lair they were still afraid to step on anyone's toes.

"Ben-Gali, you mind if I borrow your mind and possibly you hands for a little while? I need to start working on vehicles for you, Pumyra, and Lynx-O," the panther changed the subject.

"Of course. It'd be nice to get my hands dirty," the white tiger chuckled.

"While vehicles sound wonderful, I'm afraid I'll always need to be a passenger and not very good in an aerial battle," Lynx-O said.

"I'm working on that but first I need to create a vehicle before I create the interface," the panther explained.

"Well it sounds like we all have a busy day ahead of us," Cheetara smiled.

"I'll say," the Kittens walked into breakfast, having just gotten off duty.

"Big plans?" Tygra asked.

"Yeah, sleeping," WilyKit yawned.

"Enjoy your meal and then catch up on some sleep. I'm off to watch the screens," the cheetah smiled before standing, putting her dishes into the dishpan on the cart nearby, and headed out of the room.

"All right, off to the Med Bay with you Lion-O," Tygra stood up as well, collecting his dishes. Pumyra and Ben-Gali quickly did the same, there was work to be done.

"Done with breakfast already?" Snarf asked as he exited the kitchen, ready to start dishwashing.

"Amazing as usual," Panthro winked.

"Yes quite tasty. Could you use an extra set of hands with the dishes Snarf?" Lynx-O offered.

"That's quite nice of you Lynx-O. I'd be quite glad for the help," Snarf smiled despite the fact that the lynx couldn't see it. Lion-O went to stand up and found his muscles didn't want to work.

"I'm going to need a hand here," he ground out. Panthro and Tygra quickly helped him up into a sort of standing position.

"I think we better get a wheelchair for him, unless you want to carry him down to the Med Bay," Tygra said.

"I'll get one," Pumyra offered and Tygra quickly told her where to find one. She was off and running down the hall.

"What is going on with me?" Lion-O asked.

"I have no idea but I intend to find out," the orange tiger said.


	2. Chapter 2

"Well what do you think?" Pumyra asked Tygra. The two were in his office examining the results of the body scan they'd performed on Lion-O.

"No abnormal heart rate or breathing rate and his muscle structure seems sound. No foreign objects under the skin either," the orange tiger frowned.

"But he shows signs of muscle weakness and lack of energy. Perhaps a sedative would be in order so that he can actually rest. It's possible that it's all stress related," she suggested.

"I would agree but he seemed fine yesterday," Tygra continued to frown.

"Could have hit like a ton of bricks this morning. What was going on before the rescue mission?" The puma asked.

"Nothing out of the ordinary. Fighting with Mumm-Ra and the Mutants or as we like to say Tuesday," he chuckled at his own joke.

"Ok so we thought that the Star of Thundera protected Lion-O and maybe it did but maybe at a price," Pumyra suggested.

"It may be time to talk to Lynx-O. He may know more about it than we do. in the meantime, I would suggest that we try the sedative like you said and see how Lion-O is feeling after he gets actual rest," Tygra said.

"Very good. Should we draw a blood sample first?" She wondered.

"Yes, excellent idea. I'll run it through the analysis machine and we'll see if anything pops," the tiger smiled. The two then exited his office and Tygra fetched the blood drawing supplies and the sedative while Pumyra called down to the kitchen to see if Lynx-O was still down there. Snarf said that they'd finished the dishes and that Lynx-O had headed down to the hangar. She thanked him and then hung up before calling down to the hangar. Panthro answered the phone and promised to send the lynx in her direction. She thanked him and hung up.

"All right, sample is drawn and Lion-O is slowly drifting off to sleep," Tygra exited the patient's room and approached her out near the main desk.

"Lynx-O is on his way over. Hopefully we can get some insight," she smiled.

"I certainly hope so," he nodded. The two fell into a comfortable silence while they waited for the lynx to reach them. Tygra had questions he wanted to ask but didn't want to seem like he was prying. Pumyra seemed like a quiet cat yet he knew that she'd shown her ferocity when dealing with her captors on Fire Rock Mountain.

"I should have known it was you two once the ringing in my ears started," Lynx-O chuckled upon entering the Med Bay. He may have lost his sight but no one would have noticed considering how well he moved around the Lair with no assistance.

"Well you know me. I can't stop talking about you," Pumyra teased him. She looked to the elder cat as a father figure and the two often had long conversations together back before the Berserkers showed up.

"I do know you," he teased before continuing, "but I'm guessing this isn't a social call."

"Well medically, there doesn't actually seem to be much wrong with Lion-O. We were wondering if you knew more about the Star of Thundera," Tygra spoke up.

"I do know a little but I'm not sure how helpful it will be," the lynx admitted. Tygra was about to ask what he meant when the Lair alarms went off. All three quickly left the Med Bay and headed for the Control Room. They reached the room before the others to find Cheetara staring at the video screen.

"What is going on?" Pumyra asked.

"I've got movement over by Dark Side. No one should be over there," the cheetah explained.

"We knocked Lion-O out so he could get some sleep. You think we can handle this without him?" Tygra asked. The door to the Control Room opened and in came Panthro, Ben-Gali, and the Twins. The latter looked exhausted considering they'd only had a little while to sleep. Cheetara brought the others up to speed.

"Ben and I will check it out in the Tank. No point in dragging everyone into this until we know what is going on. If there's trouble, we'll radio for back up," Panthro spoke up.

"Sounds good. Be careful. Until Lion-O is able, I'm acting Lord of the ThunderCats," Tygra told them. Both gave a quick nod before running out of the room and headed for the hangar.


	3. Chapter 3

"So you and Pumyra…" Panthro started as the ThunderTank rumbled its way toward Dark Side.

"Pumyra and I what…" Ben-Gali raised an eyebrow, unsure of what the panther was getting at.

"Well it just seems like you're super close, which wouldn't be entirely unsurprising given how long you were isolated on Third Earth. I guess I'm more wondering brother/sister or more… serious," the panther said.

"Truth be told, I'm not sure. We've always been close but we've mostly just teased each other. I think we both were just so focused on staying alive that we forgot to live," the white tiger admitted.

"I can understand that. Plus back home that might have been difficult to explain," Panthro nodded. The fact of the matter was, despite their advanced society, mixed relationships were something that struggled to find a place. The elders thought it wrong to mix blood while the younger generation found restricting relationships based on species was outdated and unnecessary. Some traditions were hard to break no matter how hard Cats try.

"To be honest, I'd go into hell and back for her. I wouldn't care what other Cats think," Ben-Gali told him.

"Then you need to tell her that. We've just been focusing on surviving too, trust me, but I don't see any point in waiting. You never know what is going to happen next around here," the panther said.

"Good advice. Why so much interest in my love life anyway?" The white tiger wanted to know.

"More like just getting to know you. I mean I'd like to know who I'm going into battle with. It's not as if we've had time to really get to know one another," Panthro pointed out. He was not wrong. After their rescue, the new ThunderCats had spent time getting checked out in the Med Bay and trying to catch up on how the Lair was run and where things were so they wouldn't get lost. Had the alarms not gone off today, it would have been the first real opportunity to learn more about their new comrades.

"I gotcha. So anything I need to know about you?" Ben-Gali wondered.

"More on me later. We're about to enter Dark Side," Panthro sealed up the ThunderTank, so that they would not be exposed to anything in the atmosphere, and pushed her forward into the forbidden zone. Ban-Gali looked around, concerned that perhaps they should have brought more help with them.

"It seems quiet," Panthro frowned.

"I'm guessing that isn't a good thing," the white tiger said. The panther nodded before grabbing the radio.

"ThunderTank to Cat's Lair. Come in Cat's Lair."

"Cheetara here. You find anything?"

"Not yet and that makes me nervous," Panthro replied.

"I can see you but whatever was out there seems to be hiding. Run a thermal scan and see what you get. We're readying the Feliner as we speak," Cheetara responded.

"Roger. ThunderTank out," Panthro disconnected the call and then started to run a thermal scan, hoping to find something, anything at this point.

"Cat's Lair to ThunderTank. Come in ThunderTank," Cheetara called five minutes later. The Feliner was ready and Tygra, Pumyra, and Lynx-O were climbing aboard. While the lynx could not help fly the vehicle, he was very handy in a fight.

"Cat's Lair to ThunderTank. Come in ThunderTank," all she got was static.

"Cat's Lair to ThunderTank. Come in ThunderTank," again nothing and she quickly radioed the Feliner.

"Feliner, I have no response from the ThunderTank. Punch it!"

"Roger!" Tygra responded.


	4. Chapter 4

The Sword of Omens growled and Tygra knew that meant only one thing – trouble. He looked at the puma in the co-captains chair next to him. She seemed to be handling the vehicle just fine, so he left his chair and called for the Sword to show him what it was trying to warn about.

"Not good," he frowned as he pulled the Sword's hilt away from his face.

"What is it?" Pumyra asked as the tiger got back in his seat after returning the Sword to the Claw Shield.

"The Sword is warning me to not head near Dark Side but we have to find Panthro and Ben-Gali so I say we run all scans and arm all weapons," Tygra explained.

"Aye, aye. Running scan as we speak," the puma responded. Tygra quickly activated the laser blaster which Panthro had just installed. He crossed his fingers that it actually worked. While the panther was not known for doing shoddy work, he did in fact retrofit the blaster onto the former research vehicle and had not had the time to test it. That and their limited visibility inside Dark Side were making him nervous. They had slowed to accommodate the surroundings and he didn't want to waste time if their friends were under attack.

"Do you hear that?" Lynx-O suddenly asked as they reached the border of Dark Side.

"Scans are picking up blaster fire. Looks like Panthro and Ben-Gali found something after all," Pumyra frowned.

"How about we give them a little assistance then?" Tygra smirked and pushed the Feliner harder to get closer to the coordinates the scan gave them. As they flew through Dark Side, it seemed as though the ThunderTank had travelled quite the distance to get where the battle was taking place. Pumyra tried to reach the Lair but found she could not.

"Explains why Panthro didn't answer Cheetara. We're on our own boys," the puma told them.

"Radio jammer or just the geography of the area?" Lynx-O wanted to know.

"Considering there is blaster fire, probably the first one. I'm locking onto a signal. Looks like a Sky Cutter," Tygra told them.

"Mutants!" Pumyra practically hissed.

"What the hell would they be doing out here?" Lynx-O didn't understand.

"Only one way they get out here and that would be Mumm-Ra. He must be having them do a task for him. Let's hope we get lucky with this shot," Tygra fired the blaster at the shape of the Sky Cutter.

"Direct hit! Sky Cutter is down!" Pumyra announced.

"I can hear the Tank. Is there any way to communicate with them?" Lynx-O's hearing was working overtime.

"Negative. The radio jammer could still be in play. Luckily, our scans run on a different frequency," the puma explained.

"There's a Fistpounder on the scan, locking on… fire!" Tygra pressed the button and the blaster fired at the Mutant vehicle.

"Another hit! We've got them on the run!" Pumyra said. She quickly tried the radio again and this time she got something.

"Come in ThunderTank!"

"We're here and glad to see you guys! Let's get out of here!" Panthro responded. There was something off in his voice but she couldn't place it, not having known him very long.

"You first. We'll bring up the rear," Pumyra told him.

"Yes ma'am," with that she watched the scanner as the Tank turned and sped away from the scene. Tygra brought the Feliner about and they started heading out of Dark Side, leaving the Mutants behind.

A few minutes later as they emerged from the dark haze to see the ThunderTank had stopped and the back end was open. Tygra set the Feliner down and they quickly disembarked only to find Panthro yelling at Ben-Gali.

"Come on dammit! Don't do this to me!" Pumyra rushed over to the vehicle and that's when she saw that Panthro was trying to get Ben-Gali to breathe.

"What happened?" The puma wanted to know.

"That Fistpounder managed to punch a hole in the glass and I thought that's all it did but all of a sudden Ben isn't breathing," the panther told her.

"Get the First Aid kit! Hurry!" Pumyra yelled to Tygra.


	5. Chapter 5

"My head…" the murmur shook Pumyra from her sleep and she bolted upright in the chair she'd taken residence up in. She was at Ben-Gali's side in an instant.

"Don't overtax yourself. You're safe at the Lair," the puma told him.

"What happened?" He asked, still not wanting to open his eyes as the room spun. Ben-Gali was glad that he was sitting up and not lying down as he could feel his body doing something he didn't like.

"Both you and Panthro were exposed to the atmosphere in Dark Side. You took it a little harder than he did but that isn't surprising considering we were just there not long ago," Pumyra explained.

"I'm really dizzy and…" he stopped and the puma quick thinking helped them to avoid a nasty situation as she handed him a hospital bucket and he emptied the contents of his stomach. She pressed the call button and within moments Tygra had come running.

"Is he all right?" The tiger gagged on the smell of vomit.

"Dizzy as all get out. We've been hydrating him intravenously so I don't think it's that. Also, he won't open his eyes," Pumyra told him. Quickly she took the bucket out of the room and dumped it into the toilet down the hall.

"The only thing we can do for the dizziness is try to give you motion sickness medication. It should help shut down the need to vomit and maybe let you open your eyes," Tygra said.

"Do what you gotta do. This is one hell of a merry-go-round ride," Ben-Gali told him. Quickly, the orange tiger ducked back out into the hallway and retrieved a vial of the medication in liquid form and then returned to inject it into Ben-Gali's IV.

"That should take affect soon," Tygra explained as Pumyra came back into the room with a clean bucket.

"Just in case," she said.

"Try and rest, ok?" Tygra hoped that his brother tiger could do what he was suggesting.

"How long was I out?" Ben-Gali suddenly asked.

"About twelve hours. Not to worry, you haven't missed anything," the orange tiger chuckled and then left the room to go check on Panthro. Tygra was right. Despite the encounter inside Dark Side, there had been neither hide nor hair of the Mutants since then.

"What difference does the time make?" Pumyra asked him.

"I…" Ben-Gali inhaled deeply and the puma grabbed the bucket in case it was necessary. The white tiger swallowed and then stuck his tongue out; the taste in his mouth was atrocious. Pumyra seemed to sense that and quickly poured him a little water to rinse his mouth out with. She brought the plastic cup to his lips and he sipped before swishing and then spitting into the bucket.

"Better?" She asked.

"Much. Thank you," he smiled but still refused to open his eyes, the medicine was still trying to work its magic. So he reached out to the woman who stood nearby and she took his hand, confused and concerned by his behavior. They had bigger things to worry about however, as the Lair's alarms went off.

"Red Alert! Red Alert!" The computer announced. Before Ben-Gali could say anything, Pumyra kissed his forehead and then ran out of the room.

"What have we got?" Lion-O asked as he entered the Control Room. He was feeling much better after having gotten some very deep sleep for about sixteen hours, thanks to the sedative.

"Mutants! They're making for the Lair!" Cheetara responded, she then shouted into the intercom "Battle stations! I repeat Battle stations!" The ThunderKittens scrambled for the Ballista instead of heading for the Control Room. Tygra on the other hand, took a seat at the laser blasters inside the Control Room, which fired from the Cat's eyes. With Panthro and Ben-Gali still out of commission, that left Lion-O and Pumyra to engage via vehicle if need be. Cheetara continued to man the Control Room screens giving coordinates to those that fired the weapons.

"Fire at will! Fire at will!" Cheetara ordered as she punched the buttons to retract the drawbridge. As the Mutants opened fire on the Lair and the ThunderCats returned fire, the heroes had no idea that just beyond their scanners lay a new enemy in wait.


	6. Chapter 6

"They're peeling off. Seems we gave them a run for their money," Cheetara announced which was followed by cheers from the others. She was about to have the drawbridge re-extend when her King stopped her.

"I hate to be a stick in the mud but doesn't that seem too easy?" Lion-O wondered.

"I would agree," Tygra said.

"Remain at battle stations!" Cheetara announced over the radio to the ThunderKittens.

"What is it Lion-O?" Lynx-O spoke up.

"Well they attack us in Dark Side and then silence. Now a quick attack which was easily thwarted. Something just seems off," the lion admitted.

"How long can we last with the drawbridge retracted?" Tygra wanted to know.

"The food stores will let us last a week. Longer if we ration," Cheetara explained.

"I doubt we'll have to wait that long. Whatever the Mutants have up their sleeves, it'll rear its ugly head soon enough. Put calls out to the Warrior Maidens, Snowman, and the Berbils. Alert them that we are experiencing troubles with the drawbridge and can't extend it. Tell them we hope to have repairs completed by tomorrow. In the meantime, tell them to look out for themselves and their neighbors. End it with our code word so they know it's a ruse," Lion-O told the cheetah. She nodded and quickly got to work.

"I'll head back down to the Med Bay to check on Panthro and Ben-Gali. The sooner they're on their feet, the better," Pumyra told them.

"Please bring them up to speed while we make a big show of doing repairs," the lion said. The puma nodded and headed out of the Control Room doors.

"Tygra and Lynx-O with me," Lion-O ordered and the two quickly followed him out of the Control Room and down the hall to the front entrance where they left the Lair and headed for the drawbridge. Once they reached the retracted end, Lion-O quietly whispered to Lynx-O,

"Listen, do you hear anything?" before he said aloud,

"Looks like she blew a fuse."

"Or a coupling," Tygra nodded. The two looked over the edge and made a big show of getting down onto the ground to look at the bridge end. All the while Lynx-O listened; his fine-tuned ears could tell that Lion-O's hunch had been right. Something was out in the forest.

"Perhaps Panthro has had luck inside checking the wiring," the lynx suddenly spoke up.

"Perhaps he has. We can tell him what we found," Lion-O stood up and he could hear the Sword growl, though it was not the usual loud growl, so he figured that it was time to retreat to the safety of the Lair. Quickly, the three moved inside and once there, Lion-O punched in the order for the front door to be sealed. Another large metal door that resided in the same frame as the two smaller doors, slid over them, and clamped down into the opening created at the bottom of the frame. Up from below came an interlocking device that made the door near impenetrable.

"What'd you guys find?" Cheetara asked when they walked back inside the Control Room.

"I could sense something out in the trees. Can you run a stealthy scan with the sensors? There were voices but they were too far away for me to hear clearly," Lynx-O spoke up.

"I can do that. The infrared scan doesn't need the Cat's Head to move," the cheetah replied and she quickly ran a scan.

"So are you thinking what I'm thinking?" Tygra asked while they waited.

"That the Mutants freed someone or something from Dark Side?" Lion-O wondered.

"Winner, winner chicken dinner," Cheetara announced. The all turned their attention to her screen.

"Get a call out to Mandora. We may need help on this one," the lion ordered. The shapes were obviously creatures but of what kind they could not tell. Cheetara tried to put a call into the Evil Chaser but was disrupted by a sudden explosion that rocked the Lair.


	7. Chapter 7

"Mutants or their new friends?" Lion-O asked as he scraped himself up off the floor.

"Can't tell. Communications are down and I'm having a hard time bringing the screens back online," Cheetara told him. Suddenly they heard the Ballista fire.

"The Kittens have engaged the enemy!" Tygra shouted.

"I'll help them, you two try to get the screens and communications back online," the lion ordered before quickly running out of the Control Room. He ran down the hall to the stairs and started climbing. When he was about halfway up the stairs another volley was fired and the Sword growled.

"Sword of Omens give me Sight Beyond Sight!" Lion-O commanded upon pulling the Sword from the Claw Shield. He could now see their opponents clearly but he could not describe them. They were unlike anything he'd ever seen before. He put the Sword away and resumed climbing the stairs, two at a time.

"Lion-O! They've been hurling ice at us!" WilyKit announced.

"Ice? In the middle of summer?" The lion was confused.

"Large boulders too!" WilyKat pressed the reload button and pressed the fire button. The Ballista hurled another missile at the group attacking the Lair.

"They haven't made it across the moat have they?" Lion-O wanted to know.

"Not yet but we're running out of defenses," WilyKit said.

"We have to hold out as long as we can. Our message to Mandora never got out. Do you know what caused the explosion?" The lion asked.

"It wasn't an explosion. The strong one hurled a boulder and it made contact below us. Since you got up here, I'm guessing we still have a way out," WilyKat said. That's when the radio next to them crackled to life.

"Communications are back up. I've sent an emergency signal to Mandora," Cheetara's voice sounded over the device.

"Can we use the lasers in the Cat's Head?" Lion-O responded.

"Negative. The screens are not coming back up. Not sure what got damaged," the cheetah explained. Without the screens it would be impossible to use the lasers because there was no way to see what they were aiming at.

"The Ballista is almost empty. We may need to take the fight to them with the Feliner and the Tank," the lion told her. He got no response and suddenly grew anxious. Had the communications gone back down?

"Mandora responded. Evil Chaser backup is en-route. We just need to hold out for another hour," the cheetah told them. That's when another boulder hit the Lair. It knocked Lion-O down to the ground and the Kittens held onto the control panels in front of them.

"A few more hits like that and we won't need to worry about Mandora getting here," WilyKat said. That's when they heard something familiar.

"Warrior Maidens! Attack!" It was followed by a roar that could only be one creature.

"Snowmeow!" Lion-O was almost giddy. Their allies had come to help. Seeing this the enemy realized they were about to be boxed in – Warrior Maidens to the front, Snowman and his trusty companion to the right, and the moat behind. Lion-O turned and raced down the stairs. He passed the Control Room and shouted "Ho!" as he went. Tygra and Lynx-O quickly exited the room and followed him. Arriving at the door, Lion-O punched in the code and it opened. The three raced out and one of the attackers noticed they had company coming up from behind.

"We need to get out of here!" The tall one exclaimed before he grabbed onto the short, fat one next to him.

"Every Lunatak for themselves!" The short, fat one bounded away, high into the air. He would not be caught along with his friend. A third blew ice at their attackers and all pulled up except Snowman and Snowmeow who charged ahead.

"Ho!" Lion-O shouted and a beam of energy shot out of the Sword and hit the ice in front of the Warrior Maidens. It shattered and the group ran through the opening.

"Their heading for the woods!" Willa shouted.

"Let them go! I managed to snag one!" Snowman announced. Lion-O, Lynx-O, and Tygra were excited to see what their friend from Hook Mountain had managed to do. The drawbridge slowly started to extend and the ThunderCats moved out onto it so they could meet up with their allies.

"Put me down!" The short one squawked.

"Not a chance," Snowman said. He had his quarry by the back of the shirt. Snowmeow growled and the prisoner clammed up.

"Thank you friends for coming to our aid. Who have we got here?" Lion-O asked.

"I demand to be put down!" The prisoner shouted.

"Oh you'll be put down all right. Tygra, would you help Snowman and Snowmeow get our prisoner into the cells? I'm sure that'll be satisfactory until Mandora arrives," the lion said.

"Agreed, right this way," Tygra smiled at the two from Hook Mountain and they headed inside.

"Looks like we got here just in time. The Lair has taken a beating," Willa walked up to Lion-O and they shook hands.

"It has. With Panthro and Ben-Gali out of commission, we were a little shorthanded as well," he said.

"Well then I suggest we get to assessing the damage while we wait for Mandora," the leader of the Warrior Maidens said.

"Much obliged," Lion-O smiled.


	8. Chapter 8

"Somehow I knew you guys were going to be trouble," Mandora had a smirk on her face as she climbed off the back of her Electro-Charger. Lion-O had come out to greet the Evil Chaser and noticed that she'd been accompanied by two other Evil Chasers.

"Well maybe we just missed you," the lion chuckled. This made Mandora laugh before introducing her companions,

"Evil Chaser First Class Shay and Evil Chaser First Class Bol, may I introduce King Lion-O formerly of Thundera."

"Your Highness," both officers bowed. They were humanoid like Mandora, while Shay was a brunette female, who was slightly shorter than the blonde, Bol was head and shoulders taller than Shay and had no hair sticking out from underneath his Evil Chaser helmet.

"Nothing so formal please. Lion-O will do. Now, we have much to discuss," the lion said.

"Like your redecorating?" Mandora asked. One could not help but notice the Warrior Maidens and Berbils checking out the fortress and the damage caused to it.

"That and the prisoner in the basement," Lion-O said. He quickly let them to the hangar so they may stow their Electro-Chargers. They then headed up to the Conference Room where a group had gathered.

"Mandora, you remember Willa, Queen of the Warrior Maidens, and her sister, Princess Nayda, and Snowman of Hook Mountain with his most trusted companion, Snowmeow," Lion-O made quick introductions.

"Indeed I do. I wish we were here under better circumstances. Evil Chaser First Class Shay and Bol have joined me in our attempt to help you. What have you stumbled on?" Mandora wanted to know. That's when Cheetara queued up the video via the equipment in the middle of the Conference Room table.

"These are the beings that attacked the Lair. We suspect that the Mutants had a hand in freeing them from Dark Side," Tygra spoke up.

"Yeah they aren't smart enough to do that on their own," the blonde frowned.

"Their only other ally on Third Earth is Mumm-Ra and we believe him to be dead since the Star of Thundera destroyed him on Fire Rock Mountain," Cheetara said.

"You guys have been busy then," Mandora didn't seem surprised.

"Quite and we managed to add to our ranks. Pumyra and Lynx-O were part of the group we rescued from the mummy's clutches. Ben-Gali is with Panthro down in the Med Bay. They are suffering some after effects of being in Dark Side," Lion-O smiled.

"Glad to have you with us then. I think the first step will be to get the Lair back in tiptop shape, which you seem to be on already. What about this prisoner, you speak of?" Mandora wondered.

"She is the short one in the video riding atop the large quadrupedal creature," Pumyra spoke up.

"I was able to capture her," Snowman told them.

"Well hopefully she'll feel like talking. Shay, run these images through the Evil Chaser database. We need to know who we are up against. Bol, check on our friends outside. Darkness will be falling soon and I want to make sure this place will be tighter than a drum before then. Lion-O, if you would lead the way," the lead Evil Chaser said. Quickly, the group got up and followed Lion-O down to the basement, with the ThunderCats peeling off to go assist outside as well, leaving just the leaders of the groups behind.

"It would seem I'm just an oddity to you all," the short woman hissed.

"Hardly. I'm Evil Chaser First Class Mandora and I'm here to see why you caused so much trouble today and what your association to the Mutants of Plundarr is," came the reply.

"I'll not tell you," the prisoner said.

"Well then we'll just see what happens when we run your record through the database. I'm sure the Penal Planet or Way Outback would love to have you," Mandora smirked.


	9. Chapter 9

"Mandora, the database results are back," Shay told her as the younger Evil Chaser approached the group seated in the main dining hall. It was now dark and everyone had come into the Lair for a hot meal and a chance to sleep before heading in their separate directions. The Berbils had headed home being the ones closest to the Lair.

"What have you got?" The blonde asked. Lion-O and Cheetara turned their attention to what the Evil Chasers had to say.

"Luna, granddaughter of the infamous Queen Luna, from the third moon of Plundarr. She is leader of the Lunataks. They are known for their raids on other planets, taking what they want and killing those that stand in their way. Each of the five beings that fight beside her are from different moons of Plundarr. She rides Amok, as her main form of transportation. The whole group disappeared off the radar after landing on Third Earth some time ago," Shay explained.

"Well they certainly did not make themselves known until now," Lion-O said. The ThunderCats had been on Third Earth for almost two years at that point and they had never encountered them before.

"I highly doubt they would have waited to attack you until now. That means they definitely freed by our Mutants buddies. Why I have no idea as the Mutants of Plundarr do not get along with their cousins from the Plundarrian moons," Mandora frowned.

"So we have to assume that the Star of Thundera did not kill Mumm-Ra as we thought," Cheetara spoke up.

"Safe bet," the Evil Chaser nodded. Suddenly, the doors to the main dining room flung open and there in the doorway stood Mumm-Rana. Lion-O quickly stood and went to the Ancient Egyptian priestess.

"I have felt a disturbance in the balance of good and evil. Have you not felt it young King?" She asked.

"We did have a bit of a skirmish today with the Lunataks, a new enemy, but I have not felt anything else," he admitted as he led her back to the table. Quickly the lion made introductions.

"So you said you felt something?" He wondered once he was done introducing her.

"Regrettably, my eternal foe seems to have not left us as we had all hoped," Mumm-Rana explained, taking a seat that Lion-O offered her.

"I'll say that about confirms it. Mumm-Ra is still alive and kicking somewhere," Cheetara frowned.

"The Ancient Spirits of Evil are up to their old tricks but I fear there may be more to it than that," the priestess said before continuing,

"While I slept someone entered my pyramid. It was only after the Ancient Spirits of Good woke me that I found Mutants attempting to steal the belt which once belonged to Queen Luna. She cannot be around anymore but a descendant of hers could wear it to wreak havoc on this planet."

"Then I think you'll be glad to see what we have in the cells in the basement," Lion-O had a smirk on his face. Quickly he stood and Mumm-Rana did the same with Cheetara and Mandora in tow.

"Ah so you thought you could hide your treachery by sending in someone else to do your dirty work," Mumm-Rana confronted the prisoner when the group reached the basement prison cells.

"You stole my grandmother's belt. I was only stealing it back," Luna was cool as a cucumber.

"I stole nothing. I stopped your grandmother from enslaving all of Third Earth. The belt is under my protection, so nothing like that can happen again," the ancient priestess narrowed her eyes at the prisoner.

"By daybreak, she'll be off of your hands anyway. Captain Bragg is on his way here as we speak. Way Outback has a nice padded cell for this one," Mandora smirked.

"You truly have no idea with whom you are playing with do you?" Luna gave them a look.

"Of course we do. If your friends were going to mount a rescue mission, they'd have tried it already," Lion-O spoke up. Luna frowned at him, knowing he was right.


	10. Chapter 10

"Captain Bragg, good to see you," Mandora smiled at the interstellar bounty hunter. He had landed the next morning as expected, parking the Circus Train down at the bottom of the steps leading up to the Lair's front door.

"Same to you Mandora. Always glad to get some help from the Evil Chasers," he smiled back.

"We'll have your prisoner momentarily. May I introduce King Lion-O of the ThunderCats," the Evil Chaser said.

"Your Highness," Captain Bragg bowed. The crow on his shoulder bowed as well.

"It is good to meet you. We may have more prisoners for you soon. It seems that Luna was not alone," Lion-O told him. He heard the front door of the Lair open and knew that Tygra and Cheetara were coming with the prisoner.

"Well then do give me a call. I'm happy to help," Bragg said.

"You use a mousetrap to catch this one?" Crownan spoke up from his perch. Mandora chuckled while Lion-O smirked.

"Not exactly," the lion said. Captain Bragg went to the Circus Train and opened the first cell so that Cheetara and Tygra could load the prisoner in.

"You'll not get away with this!" Luna hissed.

"I think they already have sweetheart," Crownan cracked another joke as Luna was loaded into the cell and secured.

"Well I shall be on my way to Way Outback. Exile will look good on her," Bragg winked and then bowed before hopping aboard the engine car. The engines fired and just like that Luna was on her way off planet.

"One down, five more Lunataks to go," Mandora smirked.

"Let's see our guests off and then perhaps we should get down to figuring out what we should do," Lion-O said to the blonde.

"Proactive would seem to be best. Do what you have to do, I'll round up the troops," Mandora nodded and headed back inside.

"How are Ben-Gali and Panthro?" The king asked Tygra.

"Much better today. I think they should be on their feet by the end of the day," the tiger smiled.

"Excellent news," Lion-O smiled. He noticed that Cheetara seemed to be quiet, which was odd for her.

"I'll go check on them and see if they think they could attend the meeting," Tygra said before leaving the cheetah and lion alone.

"Hey are you ok?" Lion-O asked.

"Me?" She asked.

"I don't see anyone else out here," he teased.

"I just have this uneasy feeling," Cheetara admitted.

"Something that someone said?" Lion-O grew concerned.

"Probably my sixth sense acting up, truth be told," she said.

"Well that doesn't sound good. Time to head inside, I think," he said, gently taking her hand in his. Cheetara was surprised by the move but said nothing. It was obvious that he was concerned about her and what had been going on and she couldn't deny the feeling that it was going to get worse before it got better.


	11. Chapter 11

"Luna!" Amok shouted at the other Lunataks. They all just gave him a look and he shut up. The others then headed back to what they were doing.

"I don't see how Mumm-Ra can keep us under his thumb," the tallest one, who went by the name Alluro, said. He was muscular as well and made a pint of showing off his muscles, wearing only a belt attached to suspenders and pants. He wielded a club that was known across the galaxy for its psychological effects.

"You can't control him with that club of yours," the short and round one named Tug Mug told him. To think that the Lunatak could not do much damage was a mistake. The gravitational forces on his moon were much higher than those on Third Earth and he could crush bone with his bare hands if he wasn't having too much fun with his gravity carbine.

"He's right! With Luna missing, we'll need to be extra careful," the medium height Lunatak named Red-Eye. He was loyal to the missing leader but was hedging his bets with her missing. His enhanced vision capabilities would not help him determine what was in his fellow Lunatak's hearts.

"Let's not lose focus on our objective boys. The ThunderCats first, then we deal with Mumm-Ra and those idiot Mutants," Chilla hissed. The most humanoid of the group, the ice queen, was literally that. She controlled ice and snow with her breath and heat with her eyes.

"Agreed. The ThunderCats will be a mere annoyance but if we do not defeat them first, then Mumm-Ra will be on our case," Alluro nodded.

"Yes and until Sky-Tomb is operational, we are in the weaker position," Red-Eye gave them all a look.

"Then shouldn't you get on that?" Tug Mug asked.

"I need help. I know you don't want to dirty up those fingernails but we're like sitting ducks with Sky-Tomb grounded," Red-Eye shot back.

"Enough! Alluro, take Tug Mug and Red-Eye and get Sky-Tomb operational. I'll see if I can find out what happened to Luna after the ThunderCats got her," Chilla barked orders.

"Go with!" Amok spoke up. By now he was very frustrated with his limited vocabulary but the poor creature didn't realize that Luna had made sure he couldn't say much.

"All right you big lug, let's go," the ice queen frowned. Amok headed for the exit while Alluro gave Chilla a look. Her response was to shrug her shoulders before heading outside.

"Who made her boss?" Tug Mug wanted to know.

"Stay focused unless you want me to focus you," Alluro gave him a look that managed to shut the short Lunatak up. Red-Eye just shook his head and started to make his way from the engine room. While he'd been grateful that the Mutants had managed to save his mechanical baby, he'd not been thrilled to see what shape it was in.

"How much fuel do we have?" Alluro asked.

"Well since we don't have access to our usual fuel, we'll need to convert the engines to work on that Thundrillium that the Mutants use," Red-Eye explained.

"This is going to take a while," Tug Mug frowned.

"Better get to it, unless you want that reptile Slythe issuing the orders," Alluro reminded them.

"He better be off finding us fuel or the conversion won't make one bit of difference," Red-Eye gave them both a look. He knew they'd be useless to help him but maybe he'd get lucky and he'd actually get them to follow his orders. Either way, he'd get what he came for; none of them would stand in his way.


	12. Chapter 12

Cheetara lay awake in her bed staring at the ceiling. Morning was fast approaching and she hadn't been able to shut off the feeling of dread that had been looming since earlier in the day. Heaving a sigh, she climbed out of bed and slipped on her bathrobe.

Exiting her room, she made her way down to the kitchen. She walked through the doorway as the door slid back to let her pass.

"I see I'm not the only one who can't sleep," Pumyra looked up from her drink and smirked from her seat at the small table in the middle of the room.

"We have a club. We're thinking about getting jackets," Cheetara half smiled before moving toward the fridge.

"Oh yeah, maybe I should join," the puma sipped from her drink.

"What are you drinking anyway? I was hoping for some warm milk and it would see we're out of milk," the cheetah frowned.

"I settled for juice. I'm guessing that Snarf is going to the store or whatever you guys do," Pumyra said.

"The Berbils help us out quite a bit as do the Wollos and Balkans. They are happy to help since we protect them and offer to help with other things when they need it. But I'm guessing that our grocery habits aren't what was keeping you up this evening," Cheetara got to the point as she pulled the juice out of the fridge and grabbed a glass out of the cupboard.

"That would be correct…" the puma hesitated to say more.

"Is something really wrong? Are you struggling with what happened at Fire Rock Mountain?" The cheetah pressed as she poured herself a glass and then put the juice back into the fridge.

"That I'd know what to do with. This is something altogether different," Pumyra admitted.

"Well don't leave me hanging," Cheetara said as she sat down in the empty chair across the table from the newest ThunderCat.

"Ben-Gali's behavior is making me worried. There is no medical reason but he always seems like he wants to say something but then doesn't. I can't figure out why he just won't tell me. I mean we were fine before the encounter with the Berserkers but now…" she heaved a sigh.

"Now he's emotionally constipated," the cheetah chuckled which made Pumyra laugh.

"I guess that's what you call it," she said.

"You guys almost died. It's possible that he's beginning to realize that he's missing something or that he needs to say something and doesn't know how," Cheetara suggested.

"Then I think we've got two emotionally constipated Cats on our hands," Pumyra smirked.

"You're a popular lady," the cheetah said.

"Oh this one has nothing to do with me. I've seen the way that Lion-O looks at you," the puma waggled her eyebrows at the elder ThunderCat.

"Oh no. He's half my age, mentally, and emotionally, he's still trying to figure out who he is supposed to be. I'm probably more of a mother figure than anything else," Cheetara shook her head.

"Yeah I don't think Lion-O has any trouble figuring out who he's supposed to be. I think he's afraid to make a move and get shot down," Pumyra said. Her friend was about to argue the point when the Lair alarms went off.

"At this hour?" The puma asked as they jumped up out of their seats.

"I knew there was going to be trouble," Cheetara frowned.


	13. Chapter 13

"What have we got?" Cheetara asked upon entering the Control Room. She'd sped down to her room, put on her uniform, and made it back to the Lair's nerve center before Pumyra managed to get there.

"I've got two baddies just on the periphery of the heat vision scanners. I only made the alert on the inside of the Lair so as not to alert them we know where they are," Tygra said. He had ordered Panthro and Ben-Gali to stay in bed before he headed off for his shift in the Control Room with the promise to give them a checkup in the morning.

"How in the heck…" Pumyra started when she got to the Control Room and noticed Cheetara was already there.

"You think it's some of our friends from earlier?" The cheetah wondered, ignoring the confusion on the puma's face.

"The big one definitely is," the tiger said. The doors to the Control Room opened again and in came Lion-O, Lynx-O, and the ThunderKittens.

"So our friends thought they'd come at night huh?" Lion-O spoke up.

"It would seem. I only have two of them on the scanners though. They seem to be debating whether or not to move toward the Lair," Tygra explained.

"Looking for Luna, I have no doubt," Mandora and her two comrades walked into the room.

"They're a little late," WilyKit pointed out.

"I'm surprised they came at all. As our search revealed, the Lunataks don't really like each other," Mandora admitted.

"Should we scare the crap out of them or just let them think they haven't been seen?" WilyKat wondered.

"They don't scare easily and we may lose our element of surprise. Right now they have no idea we know they're there. Any chance we can sneak up on them? You guys got a back door to this place?" Mandora wanted to know.

"All of our exits point toward the front but that doesn't mean we couldn't give them a little surprise. Tygra, couldn't you use your whip to walk right out the front door?" Lion-O asked.

"I could but I'd have no backup," the tiger said.

"Not entirely true. The side door in the Cat's Paw gets us near the drawbridge; from there it's just a quick trip over and into the woods. We do have masters of distraction here too," the lion told them.

"Draw the Lunataks attention away from the Lair, just long enough for me to speed over the bridge and then Tygra could follow while he's invisible," Cheetara said.

"Exactly. You'll be on the monitors and Pumyra and I will head down to the ThunderTank. That way we can get our captives into the Lair," Lion-O nodded.

"Should I get on the horn to Captain Bragg? What do you want us to do?" Mandora inquired, indicating that she, Shay, and Bol wanted to help.

"I'm all for counting our chickens but let's hold off until we have at least one of them. If we miss, then he'll have wasted him time. As for your help, backing up the ThunderTank would be very helpful. If we can encircle them we might have a better shot at getting them," Lion-O smiled. Everyone had their assignments and they were off.

"The place looks impenetrable. We're not going to see anything out here but then again you were never one for planning, were you, you big dummy," Chilla hissed at Amok. He whirled around on her and for a second she thought she finally pissed him off once too many times. However, their encounter ended before it went too far as the sound of an explosion drew their attention back towards the Lair.

"What the hell was that?" Chilla hissed. Amok just shrugged.

"Something isn't right…" the ice queen narrowed her eyes.

"You would be correct," Tygra spoke while he remained hidden.

"We must be hallucinating," Chilla swirled around in the direction of the voice. Amok sniffed the air. While Tygra may be able to hide his body he could not hide his smell. Before the Lunatak could do anything however, Cheetara appeared in front of them.

"No hallucination!" In an instant, the cheetah had her bo-staff out. The sounds of engines roared nearby and Chilla knew that they were outnumbered and outgunned. She turned tail and ran.


	14. Chapter 14

The ice queen had no idea that she could not outrun her new enemy and Cheetara was after her in less than a second. The cheetah stuck out her bo-staff and Chilla tripped, landing face first on the ground. The Lunatak wasn't done yet however, as she whipped her head around and spewed ice at the ThunderCat. Cheetara tried to dodge but she slipped on the ice and tumbled to the ground. The speed and force of the impact into the ground caused the cheetah to cry out.

By now the ThunderTank and Electro-Chargers had crossed the bridge. The Tank headed toward Tygra while the Evil Chasers made for Cheetara. They could see that Chilla was trying to encase the cheetah in ice and snow from her position on the ground, the force of her fall had caused her leg to break and getting up and running away was no longer an option. Cheetara was obviously struggling against the blasts, it seemed like she couldn't get up off the ground.

"Lunatak scum!" Mandora shouted the insult at Chilla and the ice queen lost her focus for a moment or two. It was enough for Mandora to land her Electro-Charger in front of Cheetara, protecting her while Shay and Bol went after Chilla.

"Are you ok?" Mandora asked, sliding off her vehicle and landing next to the ThunderCat.

"Pretty sure I have some broken ribs," Cheetara wheezed, unable to breathe deeply. The Evil Chaser figured it had to be worse than that since she couldn't seem to get enough oxygen in.

"Hang in there. We'll get you checked out," the blonde knew better than to try and move her on her own. Poking her head above her Electro-Charger, she saw that Shay and Bol had Chilla surrounded and the ice queen was running out of breathe. Shay blasted her with her standard issue blaster and it knocked the Lunatak out. Quickly, the two landed and went about securing the prisoner.

Meanwhile, Lion-O, Pumyra, Tygra, and the ThunderKittens were trying to wrangle Amok. He was beyond upset and that caused him to swing wildly at anyone who came near him. Not completely sure if Amok knew his own strength, Lion-O called for the ThunderKittens to get to the gun at the back of the Tank. They did so quickly and together they aimed it at the Luntak. Firing a net from the gun, they ensnared Amok, who started to thrash about to try and get it off of him.

"We've got to knock him out before he hurts someone, including himself!" Tygra yelled at his companions. WilyKat loaded knockout gas into the gun on the back of the Tank.

"Get back!" Wily Kit shouted before firing the weapon. The canister landed near Amok and soon the big galoot was out like a light.

"Thank Jaga that's over," Lion-O heaved a sigh.

"Medic!" Mandora shouted as Cheetara coughed up some blood. Tygra ran toward his two friends and Pumyra hopped out of the ThunderTank to join him.

"Kittens, I'm going to turn the Tank around. You reel in the net and hopefully it'll bring Amok with it. If not, I'm not sure how we're getting him off the ground," Lion-O tried to make them focus, despite the fact that he worried about who needed a medic and why.

That's when they saw Shay and Bol heading back into the Lair with Chilla strapped onto the back of one of the Electro-Chargers. One prisoner was heading inside while they struggled to get Amok into the back of the Tank.

"We need a Space Board!" Tygra shouted. WilyKit quickly left her post; her brother was able to watch as the Tank tried to reel in their prisoner.

"Here, use mine," the female ThunderKitten offered when she got there. She lowered the board to mere inches above the ground.

"We need your help. Stand across from Mandora. When I give the signal, we need to lift Cheetara up a little, just to get her onto the board. No sudden movements. Just nice and slow and steady, ok?" Tygra asked. WilyKit nodded, not saying anything about what appeared to be blood on the cheetah's uniform, and got into position across from Mandora. The two stood down at the cheetah's hips while Pumyra and Tygra each had a shoulder.

"One… two… three…" Tygra said. The four of them easily and carefully got Cheetara onto the Space Board on her back. WilyKit ordered the board up so that it was at hip level for Pumyra.

"Ok you help Pumyra get her into the Lair. Mandora and I will help Lion-O get Amok handled," the tiger ordered. Quickly the two were off toward the Lair.

"How bad is it?" Mandora wanted to know as they hopped onto her Electro-Charger.

"Let's just hope it isn't as bad as I think it is," Tygra admitted.


	15. Chapter 15

"We put power dampeners on Chilla, which should keep her out of commission until Captain Bragg arrives. Amok has been tranquilized. It took three elephant tranquilizers to knock him out," Mandora explained to Lynx-O. The two were sitting in the Control Room after the Evil Chaser made the call to the bounty hunter, which the ThunderKittens helped her make. Shay and Bol were keeping an eye on the prisoners

"It is good to have you here Mandora. While Panthro and Ben-Gali are back on their feet, Cheetara is not doing so well," the lynx explained.

"I kind of figured since Lion-O disappeared when we got back. Pumyra and Tygra are working their medical magic, I presume?" The Evil Chaser wondered.

"They are. It is good to be on my feet again and to see you Mandora," Panthro and Ben-Gali walked into the Control Room.

"Good to see you too, Panthro. Nice to meet you Ben-Gali," the Evil Chaser reached out to shake the tiger's hand.

"Same to you. I hear you helped us catch some of those guys we were chasing earlier," Ben-Gali took her hand.

"Yeah we've got three down but three to go. Regrettably, they will be harder to catch. Alluro has the ability to control minds. Tug Mug uses his gravity carbine to change an opponent's gravity and has enough strength to bend metal with his bare hands. Last but not least, Red Eye. He has increased vision capabilities in the infrared spectrum. Not only that, he can shoot lasers from his eyes and the discs he stores on his chest. By far, he is the most dangerous. Engineer and pilot, his brains are only second to Luna," Mandora gave the new ThunderCat a run down.

"Sounds like fun," the tiger frowned.

"We know that they must be working with the Mutants on some level. The Mutants freed them from their prison," Panthro said.

"True but they hate each other so it had to be at the behest of Mumm-Ra. Problem is, they don't listen to Mumm-Ra so well since they launched separate attacks," Mandora pointed out.

"So do we go after the Mutants, the Lunataks, or Mumm-Ra?" Panthro wondered.

"Since no one is pulling the strings, I say we eliminate the worst of the baddies now. Lunataks first. Tie them to the Mutants and maybe I can get them arrested. Once the help goes down in flames, Mumm-Ra will show his ugly mug," Mandora smirked.

"Agreed. So how do we track these Lunataks? Lion-O said we were going to be proactive but it seems we haven't needed to so far," the panther said.

"I suspect that Red Eye will have taken command. They could be trying to get their vehicles up and running. Any way we can track those?" Mandora wondered.

"Heat signatures but that might be too general. They are probably still hiding out in Dark Side, right?" Ben-Gali asked.

"Yes, it's the safest place for them to hide. As we discovered, it hazardous to your health over there," the Evil Chaser said.

"It is but perhaps we can draw them out. Does Captain Bragg have a way to announce his arrival?" Lynx-O spoke up.

"What are you thinking?" Mandora turned to the blind ThunderCat. He smirked slightly and quickly explained his plan.

Meanwhile, Lion-O paced outside the Med Bay scan room where Tygra and Pumyra were trying to run a full body scan on Cheetara. The tiger had thought that perhaps one of her broken ribs had entered her lungs. The scan was slow and difficult because of the cheetah having difficulty breathing.

"It's as I suspected; she started coughing up blood during the scan. We've managed to open up an airway for her and are now prepping for surgery. It's the only way to fix her ribs and her lungs. She'll be out of field duty for at least two months, if everything goes well," Tygra explained after he exited the body scan room.

"Do what you can. We'll do what we can without her, though I suspect she'll be unhappy with bedrest," Lion-O smiled slightly.

"I know she will but we can get these guys. Having the Evil Chasers here has been a great help," Tygra smiled, putting a hand on the King's shoulder. The tiger then quickly headed off for the surgery suite.


	16. Chapter 16

The next morning the Circus Train entered Third Earth's atmosphere and with it came the announcement of his arrival – loud carnival music. Over the night, Amok had to be tranquilized again and Chilla had found that trying to use her powers with the power dampening cuffs had resulted in a nasty electrical shock. Now Shay and Bol escorted her to the front of the Lair, so Captain Bragg could load her into the Circus Train first. Amok would be right behind her, in a moveable cage that Panthro and Ben-Gali had whipped up overnight.

"You think this will really draw them out?" Lion-O asked Mandora as they waited for the Circus Train to land. The two were in the Control Room with the ThunderKittens, who were due to get off shift soon.

"Captain Bragg is known throughout the galaxy, as is his Circus Train with power dampening cells. While the Evil Chasers are the premier law enforcement agency in the galaxy, it is known that those seeking to hide from the law will get no refuge from our allies as well. The Captain is one of our most trusted allies. Along with the ThunderCats, of course," the blonde gave him a wink.

"Then we shall see what shakes loose," Lion-O chuckled. They watched as Shay and Bol exited the Lair and the two thanked the ThunderKittens before heading out themselves. Panthro, Ben-Gali, and Lynx-O were guarding Amok, who was now in his moveable cage inside the hangar.

"Well it seems that you are on a roll, King Lion-O," Captain Bragg smiled and bowed to the ThunderCat leader.

"And not one with butter," Crownan cracked a bad joke.

"I guess we are. Thank you for coming so quickly," the lion smiled.

"Of course, anything for Mandora and friends of hers," Bragg smiled and opened the first car in the Circus Train. Chilla was trying to get the two Evil Chasers off of her but she had no luck as they made sure she was inside her cell. Once she was in there securely the power dampening cuffs were removed.

"You have Amok, I hear. I have a special spot for that one," Captain Bragg said. He jerked his head and Crownan flew off of his shoulder and up to the control panel on top of the train. He pressed a button with his beak the train car behind Chilla began to morph into something secure enough for the brute. The bars thickened and the top and bottom had special steel alloy covers that bulked up the strength of the entire container.

Lion-O whistled and the Cat's foot lifted up. From there, the ThunderTank emerged, pulling Amok in his cage, behind it. Captain Bragg looked impressed as Panthro easily maneuvered the ThunderTank and its Lunatak prisoner into position. Lion-O was about to ask how they were going to transfer the prisoner when Crownan hit a series of buttons on the panel he was standing next to. The walls and top lifted up from the long rear side as if it were hinged and then a flat piece of the steel alloy lifted out from the bottom, on a long retractable arm. Given that Amok was still unconscious, it just lifted the entire moveable cage off of the trailer that it had been loaded on and then moved back into position. Now that the bottom was secure, the top came down, clamping into place.

"Can't ever too be careful. Your little cage will be helpful in keeping the brute inside his cage, along with that unbreakable steel alloy I have on this train," Bragg winked.

"Well that's good to know. We appreciate it," Mandora smiled and shook the man's hand before he climbed aboard the train and started heading for the atmosphere. He was still blasting the carnival music as he left.

"They didn't jump out of the bushes at us," Lion-O frowned.

"Oh not to worry. They'll have heard that racket. As will Mumm-Ra. I have a feeling that our little Lunatak buddies will be getting a visit from the almighty wizard any time now," Mandora chuckled and turned to head back inside the Lair. Everyone followed, not wanting to get caught outside in case Mumm-Ra was indeed lurking about. Had they realized just how right the Evil Chaser was, they probably would have laughed, as the miserable mummy had heard and seen the entire exchange and was turning the air blue with his foul language. However, what he had in store for them would not have anyone laughing any time soon.


	17. Chapter 17

"Do I have to do everything myself?!" Mumm-Ra yelled at the remaining Lunataks. He surprised them working on their vehicle Sky Tomb. The three practically jumped out of their collective skins and whirled around from the work they were doing.

"You wanted us to attack and we did. Not our fault that Luna got herself captured," TugMug frowned at the mummy.

"Oh and I suppose losing Chilla and Amok was part of the plan as well?" Mumm-Ra spat.

"What are you talking about?" Alluro demanded.

"The ThunderCats had both of them escorted to Way Outback just a little while ago and you still haven't made any moves," the mummy narrowed his eyes at the tall Lunatak.

"Well if we weren't waiting on those Mutants to get us the fuel we need, maybe we could do something about it," RedEye challenged.

"And you thought we were useless. Slythe was supposed to be here yesterday," Alluro told him.

"So I really do have to do things myself. You had better have a plan to attack those ThunderCats or before you know it, you'll be on the way to join the others on Way Outback. I will not intervene on your behalf. See it as your punishment for failing me," Mumm-Ra hissed at them. He launched himself into the air and out of Sky Tomb, intent on finding the Mutants.

"Slythe!" Mumm-Ra howled as he landed at Castle Plundarr minutes later. He hadn't even bothered to enter the building, instead he shouted from the outside, at the end of his patience. A minute or so later, Slythe, followed by Monkian and Jackalman, came out the front door of the castle.

"Mumm-Ra, what brings you here?" The reptile asked.

"You lazy sack of bones! Why do the Lunataks not have the fuel  _you_  were supposed to get them? Do I have to remind you what happened to the last Mutant who disobeyed me?" The mummy questioned. Vultureman had gotten uppity with the ever-living being and Mumm-Ra had promptly turned him into a rabbit that Ma-Mutt could chase. No one had seen the Mutant since.

"Of course not Mumm-Ra. We had intended to get the Lunataks what they needed but found that the Thundrillium mine the ThunderCats have been using is practically empty. They aren't even mining it themselves. Without a new mine location, there isn't much fuel to go around," Slythe explained.

"And you figured that they'd be out looking for a new mine, despite the attacks on the Lair?" Mumm-Ra challenged him.

"It's only a matter of time before they run out of fuel. They have to be scouting for new locations already. Might as well let them do the heavy lifting, yessss?" Slythe wondered.

"And if they've found a way to manufacture it, they won't be looking for a mine at all! You will give the Lunataks your fuel or you will find a new source of fuel. If you don't have fuel to the Lunataks by tomorrow morning, you'll join your friend Vultureman. Ma-Mutt is in need of some exercise," The mummy gave the three a look. Before they could object, Mumm-Ra took to the skies and returned to his black pyramid.

"Oooohhh Ooooh that's not fair," Monkian whined.

"Life isn't fair, idiot. I'm not giving those Lunataks our fuel. I suggest we make a raid on Cat's Lair, yesss?" Slythe smirked.

"They've managed to capture three Lunataks and we're just supposed to waltz into the Lair and ask to borrow a cup of fuel?" Jackalman gave their leader a look.

"A little midnight raid was what I was thinking," Slythe wacked the jackal upside the head.


	18. Chapter 18

The Mutants snuck along the edge of the woods; they had to make sure they stayed out of the range of roving Cat's eyes. They did not speak, hoping that they were being quiet enough to avoid detection. As the eyes swept away from their position, they charged ahead to near the drawbridge. Crouching behind the machinery at the end of the bridge, the eyes swept by, passing over them.

No alarms sounded so they figured they were safe and once the eyes were gone, they snuck across the bridge. Once they had reached the other side however, the bridge started to retract. Slythe cursed under his breath and they made a break for it but they weren't fast enough and soon the gap was too big to jump across.

Lights flicked on and lit up the space in between the giant paws of Cat's Lair. There was nowhere to hide now and Lion-O, Panthro, Ben-Gali, and Tygra came charging out of the Lair's front door.

"Nowhere to run Mutants! Give yourselves up!" Lion-O shouted at them.

"Mutants never give up!" Slythe barked back.

"The bridge is closed and the only exit is about two hundred feet down to the moat. You'll die when you hit the water," Tygra pointed out.

"You think it's just the three of us? How funny," the reptile smirked.

"No one has seen Vultureman for months and I highly doubt your slaves will come to save you. Jaga knows the Lunataks won't be helping you," Panthro chuckled. Monkian bashed his fists into the pavement. He was just looking for a fight. The sudden roar of engines made the Mutants turn to see what was behind them.

"I'd do as they say or you'll find yourselves on the business end of my blaster," Mandora said from above on her Electro Charger. Shay and Bol were on their own vehicles right next to her. Completely outmanned, outgunned, and out of an escape route, Slythe threw down his battle ax.

"Perhaps a trade could be worked out, yessss?" He asked.

"What could you have that we want?" Ben-Gali raised an eyebrow at the suggestion.

"You want the Lunataks gone, we want the Lunataks gone. In exchange for our freedom, we'll tell you were they are hiding and the weaknesses to Sky Tomb," Slythe was driving a hard bargain.

"The only way I even consider letting you go is if you do that and confirm that Mumm-Ra isn't as dead as we all hoped he was," Lion-O gave the Mutant a look.

"Oh I'm afraid you can't kill Mumm-Ra with a little explosion. He's the one who wanted the Lunataks freed despite my objections," the reptile admitted.

"We let you go and you just turn on us while we're attempting to capture the Lunataks," Panthro frowned.

"A temporary truce is all I ask for. Once the Lunataks are all on their way to Way Outback, then we can pick up where we left off," Slythe suggested. Lion-O wasn't sure he liked this idea, especially since it was basically a way for the Mutants to get what they wanted.  _Rather the devil you know, than the one you don't_ , his mind said.

"I can't imagine that Mumm-Ra would look kindly on your treachery either," Tygra spoke up.

"Yes and I'm guessing that's why no one has heard from Vultureman in a while," Panthro nodded.

"Mandora, would you escort our fine guests to their cells in the basement? I need to speak with someone before I make my decision," Lion-O said.

"You've got it," the blonde was more than happy to help Panthro and Ben-Gali get the Mutants inside the Lair.


	19. Chapter 19

Dawn rose on the following morning and Mandora was busy giving the young Lord of the ThunderCats a stare in the Control Room. He'd called an early meeting between the ThunderCats and Evil Chasers.

"You want to take the Mutants up on their offer? And you think this is a good idea?" The blonde was incredulous; unsure of whom he talked to last night that convinced him of this.

"I think it may be the only way for us to get rid of the Luntaks. While the Mutants are no one's ally in this room, we know them. We can handle them easily. Right now, the Lunataks are the biggest threat, especially since Slythe revealed that Mumm-Ra did in fact have them freed. Mumm-Rana was right, as usual," Lion-O said.

"You'll forgive me your highness but there has to be a better way," Shay spoke up.

"What's on your mind Shay?" Mandora looked at the younger Evil Chaser. She rarely spoke out of turn, so the elder Evil Chaser figured she had an idea.

"Well the Mutants obviously came here for a reason. They weren't looking to make a deal last night, they were looking to steal something or possibly to sabotage something," Shay explained her thoughts.

"They were in stealth mode last night. Not a SkyCutter or NoseDiver among them," Panthro nodded.

"So they have to be around here somewhere. They certainly did not walk here from Castle Plundarr," Tygra said.

"How is this going to help us catch the Lunataks?" Lion-O wanted to know.

"Perhaps there is something on or in the vehicles that will give us a clue as to why they showed up here last night and might explain why the Lunataks have yet to seek revenge for the capture of their cohorts," Shay suggested.

"Maybe we don't need to find the vehicles," Lynx-O spoke up. Everyone turned to look at the eldest ThunderCat.

"What are you thinking Lynx-O?" Ben-Gali asked.

"I hadn't given it much thought before when I spoke with Lion-O but the Mutants wouldn't be looking for food and we held none of their own in our cells. Stealing the Sword of Omens would have been a bold attempt but we know that the Mutants would rather steal it without having to break into the Lair. After all, there was a big risk of getting caught. So what else could they be on the lookout for?" The lynx wondered.

"Could be any number of things. The Mutants are obviously back under the control of Mumm-Ra since he was alive enough to order them to free the Lunataks. Perhaps sabotage was the word of the day," Lion-O said.

"Without Vultureman, they can't sabotage a damn thing," a voice from the doorway of the Control Room said. Again everyone's focus shifted and there stood Pumyra, wheeling Cheetara into the room. The cheetah was in a wheelchair, unable to walk because of her broken leg and damaged lungs. She had been the one to make the comment.

"It was probably a little bit of both!" WilyKat announced.

"What do you mean?" Pumyra wanted to know.

"SkyTomb is supposed to fly right? Well if that's the case, what do the Lunataks need?" The ThunderKitten asked.

"Fuel," Panthro smirked.

"So we know why the Lunataks haven't found us. They don't have fuel. Now why don't we take a look around for the SkyCutters and Nosediver? If we're lucky, the Mutants will have coordinates stashed in their computer memories," Lion-O smiled. Perhaps this was going to work out better than could have been anticipated.


	20. Chapter 20

The prisoners were under guard while Panthro, Lion-O, Mandora, and Shay headed out in the ThunderTank to see if they could find the Mutant vehicles. Since the vehicles hadn't been on in hours, they couldn't use a heat signature to find them. Instead, Panthro reprogrammed the Tank's computer to look for metal. It was an easy task since the ThunderCats had used the tank as a mine locator when the old Thundrillium mine started to become empty.

"We should figure out how to make synthetic Thundrillium," Panthro said as he drove the Tank slowly around in the woods.

"I like your thinking but don't we need a chemist for that?" Lion-O asked.

"Therein lies the rub. We don't have one of those," the engineer told him.

"Perhaps you can borrow one of ours? I mean what are friends for?" Mandora offered.

"Something to discuss for sure. Thank you Mandora," Lion-O smiled.

"I hate to sound like I'm complaining but there is no way that the Mutants walked this far," Shay pointed out that they were pretty deep into the nearby forest.

"You're not complaining. You're right. I think the farthest that Slythe tries to walk is to the dinner table. We better search the other side of the Lair," Panthro said. He navigated the ThunderTank over there and within minutes they had a metal signature. The panther halted the Tank in front of a clump of trees with bushes at their bases and Lion-O jumped out.

"Here they are," the lion told them. Quickly, Panthro killed the engine and he and the Evil Chasers climbed out. Lion-O attempted to fire up the first SkyCutter but it only sputtered.

"They weren't going to get very far like that," he commented as the fuel gauge never moved off empty. Without any way to keep it running, the computer would not come online.

"This one has a smidge more gas," Shay announced as she tried to find the GPS system via the touchscreen on the second SkyCutter.

"The NoseDiver has the most fuel. Go figure," Panthro shook his head, knowing that Slythe intended to leave his cohorts behind. The SkyCutter that Shay was looking at cut out and the search ended there for her.

"Let's hope you can get something off of this thing or we're going to have to take them apart to get at the computers," Lion-O told the panther. Panthro only nodded and kept sifting through the vehicle's GPS system.

"Ok I've got the list of coordinates. Give me the handheld," the panther asked a few minutes later. Lion-O handed him a small data storage device and the cable it needed to be connected to another computer. Quickly, Panthro started the download onto the device.

"That should do it," he said a few minutes later. It was just in time too as the NoseDiver sputtered and cut out.

"Back to the safety of the Lair and then we'll figure out where the coordinates lead," Lion-O smiled. They all quickly climbed back into the ThunderTank and headed for home.

Meanwhile, Mumm-Ra landed at SkyTomb. It was awfully quiet and he frowned. The Lunataks were supposed to be preparing to attack Cat's Lair. Climbing inside the vehicle, the ancient mummy searched for his minions.

"What the hell is going on here?" Mumm-Ra barked at the sleeping Lunataks. All three of them were asleep in their control chairs on the bridge. TugMug practically fell out of his chair, despite being specially made for him.

"We're just waiting for the Mutants. They're late," Red-Eye gave the mummy a look and Mumm-Ra cursed under his breath.

"We're not waiting for them anymore," he said. Speaking in the tongue of the ancients, Mumm-Ra sent the group outside of SkyTomb. Another spell brought forth a large chariot, complete with demon horses.

"Ride this to Cat's Lair. The horses know the way. Use your considerable skills to attack them. Don't do as I say and I'll make sure that what remains of your lives will be full of pain and misery," the ancient mummy hissed and then left for his pyramid. The Lunataks looked at each other and then climbed onto the chariot.

"Giddy yup!" Alluro shouted to the horses and they were off racing through Dark Side with the Lunataks hanging on for dear life.


	21. Chapter 21

"What have you got so far?" Lion-O asked Panthro as he entered the Control Room. The lion had gone off to check on Cheetara, who had been wheeled back to bed. On his way back, he grabbed some sandwiches for the panther and himself.

"I had to use an algorithm to decipher the data. Those Mutants are so far behind technology-wise that they are using an older computer language. It's going to take a little longer than I thought to get the info we need," Panthro shook his head and then gratefully took a sandwich from the young King.

"Well it prevented you from just reading the data so maybe it works for them as an added layer of protection," Lion-O shrugged as he took a seat next to the panther.

"I suppose so but my guess is that Vultureman got lazy," Panthro said. No one at Cat's Lair was really sure what happened to the vulture but truth be told they were just glad that they didn't have to deal with him.

"So how is Cheetara?" Panthro asked after swallowing a bite of sandwich.

"She's in some pain but Pumyra said that it was to be expected. When I told her to take her time healing she got mad at me. I suppose it's just because she wants the Lunataks as badly as we do," Lion-O heaved a sigh.

"I would imagine so but she probably dislikes having everything done for her. She can't get out of bed on her own and she's got to be helped everywhere. Something that Cheetara doesn't bring up often is her childhood and I think that her fierce independence stems from that," Panthro said without taking his eyes off the large monitor in front of him.

"I thought she was a ThunderCat Noble like everyone else," Lion-O was confused.

"Most of us were of noble blood - born into the life of wealth and privilege. It is why we were sent to ThunderCat Training. Only nobles were allowed the first positions in the prestigious training academy. After that a select few of non-noble blood were allowed to compete for the remaining spaces each year. Cheetara fought her way into the academy and excelled in her classes both the mental and physical ones. Your father was honored to grant her the position of ThunderCat and she therefore became a noble. Had Thundera survived, her family would have been given noble status as well," the panther explained.

"She had a family?" The lion had not heard her speak of a family, not even her parents. He had assumed that any relatives she did have had died before Thundera exploded.

"She was engaged to be married but we have no idea if her betrothed made it off of Thundera. I think she has given up hope that he survived," Panthro told him. Lion-O grew silent as the panther punched the keyboard trying to get the algorithm to work faster.

"Why wouldn't she say anything? We all lost someone," the lion eventually said.

"We all handle grief in our own way. Perhaps she just isn't ready or perhaps she has made peace with it and therefore doesn't feel the need to bring it up. Either way, it's not your job to bring it up," Panthro said.

"No, I would never. That's her business," Lion-O agreed. Just then the computer beeped.

"Do we have something?" The lion asked. It seemed quick considering what the panther had just told him. Quickly, Panthro looked at the screen and shook his head before switching screens to reveal the outer cameras' view of the Lair and surrounding areas.

"Oh we have something all right. Incoming!" The panther slammed his fist into the emergency alarm before making an announcement over the PA system.

"Inbound bogeys at nine o'clock! Man your battle stations! Secure the prisoners! Mandora to the Control Room on the double!" The red alert alarms rang throughout the Lair.


	22. Chapter 22

Mandora practically slid past the Control Room doors as she was running; the marble floors were a little slippery when moving in a hurry. She managed to not miss and entered the room stumbling.

"What have we got?" The blonde asked.

"The remaining Lunataks and they obviously have had help from Mumm-Ra," Panthro announced. He pointed to the monitors where it could be seen that the ThunderKittens were lobbing projectiles at the invaders using the Ballista. He joined in the fray with the laser eyes in] the Cat's Head.

"Good thing I placed a call to Captain Bragg. This is our chance boys!" Mandora had a smirk on her face and Lion-O wondered if she was enjoying this a little too much.

"They aren't going to give up without a fight!" Lion-O watched as Tug Mug was trying to aim his gravity carbine at the Lair. The Lunatak didn't get too far as one of the lasers forced Alluro to yank the reins on the horses. Without thinking, Lion-O burst out of the room and headed for the door. If Tug Mug got his carbine fired at the Lair that could spell the end of the ThunderCats' home. Mandora watched him go and she quickly followed him out the door. Instead of heading outside however, she headed for the hangar and her Electro-Charger.

Once he was outside, Lion-O raised the Sword of Omens and fired it at the Lunataks' chariot. Now getting shot at from three sides, Red-Eye had had enough. He reached up into his chest plate and looked like he wanted to dislodge the discus or Sidewinder as he called it, he held there as Alluro attempted to dodge more fire from Cat's Lair. Of the three, he was the most cool, calm, and collected despite the chaos around him. Of the three, he was decidedly the most intelligent, despite what the others thought.

Lion-O noticed Red-Eye's behavior as his shot with the Sword only missed the Lunatak by a few inches. Alluro may be able to control minds but the extra perceptive Lunatak to his left was by far more dangerous. That's when Red-Eye decided against removing the Sidewinder and aimed his gaze in the lion's direction. Electrical beams shot forth from his eyes directly at the Lord of the ThunderCats.

"Not today!" Mandora crowed as she maneuvered her Electro-Charger in front of the beams. She leapt off her vehicle as the beams struck, narrowly avoiding being electrocuted as the Electro-Charger's systems began to short out, thanks to the overcharge from Red-Eye.

"That was close!" Lion-O shouted as he dove out of the way of the Evil Chaser's vehicle as it crashed to the ground. Mandora's leapt had caused her to tumble nearby, ripping open her uniform at the right elbow. The material had done its job and all of her skin was intact.

"I'll say," she winked at the lion as she stood up. Then she started firing her blaster at the chariot. By now the Lunataks realized that they were outmanned and outgunned but they knew the alternative to fighting. Dealing with a pissed off Mumm-Ra was definitely worse than whatever the ThunderCats could dish out.

"Ho!" Lion-O was now on his feet and following his friend. His blast hit the chariot wheel and the wheel disintegrated, causing the ancient vehicle to pitch and ditch its riders.

"Give up Lunatak scum!" Mandora shouted as she aimed her blaster at the enemy who was trying to pick themselves up off the concrete floor. Lion-O moved in closer, the Sword aimed at them. From the Lair doors, Ben-Gali, Tygra, and Pumyra came running out.

"Should we give up boys?" Alluro asked.

"Never!" Tug Mug shouted before firing his gravity carbine at the nearest Cat's Paw. The ground shook beneath their feet and Lion-O looked at the Lair. What he was concerned about had come true. The Paw was growing too heavy for the ground it sat on. If they didn't do something quick, it was liable to fall into the moat taking most of them with it.


	23. Chapter 23

"You idiot!" Red-Eye bellowed at his short and squat comrade. The ground continued to quake and the sound of splashing could be heard, indicating that the earthen walls that held up the Lair were beginning to falter. By now the quaking was bad enough that it was hard for anyone to stay on their feet. Tug Mug tried to focus and blasted the Cat's Paw again.

His unsure footing made him miss and the beam struck the mountain beside the Lair which began to try and float away. Now the earth beneath and above was on the move and there was no way to stop what was about to happen unless Tug Mug could reverse what he started. The Lunatak tried again and this time managed to stabilize the Cat's Paw but the mountain continued to try and move.

"Evacuate the Lair!" Lion-O shouted to Ben-Gali, Tygra, and Pumyra. The three quickly headed inside the building as it shook. Again Tug Mug aimed for mountain and now he corrected everything. The earth stopped moving but no one really knew how long that would last now that things had been disturbed.

"Let's get out of here!" Alluro shouted. Quickly, the three retreated and despite Lion-O wishing to go after them, the lion knew better. They had to help get everyone out of the Lair. Quickly, he and Mandora made for the entrance.

The ThunderKittens ran past them with WilyKit holding onto Snarf. Lion-O told them to keep running and the Kittens didn't even look back. Next out of the Lair was Ben-Gali, who was helping Lynx-O as quickly as he could. They too kept moving and did not stop to greet Lion-O or Mandora.

"I'm going to help Shay and Bol. You get see what happened to the others," before Lion-O could object Mandora took off running. Quickly the lion headed toward the Med Bay.

"Pumyra! Cheetara! Tygra!" He shouted from the doorway.

"In here!" Pumyra shouted back and the lion quickly went toward the sound of her voice. The quaking had caused the floor to heave up and Pumyra was trying to push Cheetara's wheelchair over the heaving with little success. Lion-O reached down and quickly lifted the cheetah and wheelchair without a second thought. He walked her to a safe spot on the floor and set her down.

"You two get out of here as quick as you can. Where are Tygra and Panthro?" He wanted to know as the three of them headed for the door.

"I think they both headed down to help with the prisoners," Pumyra said.

"Be careful Lion-O!" Cheetara urged him as the young lion ran away from the exit and toward the basement. The two ladies went as fast as they could toward the front door.

Down in the basement, Lion-O found Tygra and the Evil Chasers attempting to get the cells open. The shifting ground had wrecked the floor and the doors to the cells were wedged tightly to the frame of the bars.

"What the hell happened out there? Hooo. Hoooo." Monkian demanded.

"Your Lunatak buddies tried to defy the laws of physics and change the density of the Lair and the mountain," Lion-O told them.

"I hope you sent them running then, yesss?" Slythe asked.

"Of course," Mandora smirked.

"Good," Slythe smirked back and the whipped his powerful tail around, the end latched onto the door. He pulled toward him and the door moved. Lion-O pushed and the door gave way. The lizard climbed out of the cell and then moved to the next one which housed Monkian and Jackalman.

"You pull yessss?" He asked. The two nodded and did as they were told. The door burst free from its hinges and the two were freed.

"All right, everybody out. Until we know the Lair's and the mountain's structural security, we're not safe," Tygra reminded them. They all made their way out of the Lair until Lion-O stopped in his tracks.

"Where is Panthro?" He asked.

"He didn't meet us down in the basement," Shay said.

"Get across to safety. I'll go look for him," the lion told them. There was a rumbling and suddenly a splash, the mountain was losing its stability.

"You better call him with the Sword, yesss?" Slythe asked. The lion could have sworn the reptile didn't want to see anything bad happen to him.

"I didn't know you cared," Lion-O chuckled before heading back toward the building. Mandora was about to run after him but Slythe stopped her.

"Get moving. I'll help him," the lizard said.


	24. Chapter 24

Lion-O headed for the hangar, immediately assuming that the panther went for his baby, the ThunderTank. He wasn't entirely wrong but it seemed the panther sent out a distress call first. The Control Room was on the way to the hangar and he could hear the call to their allies on repeat on the radio.

"You move quickly whelp," Slythe met the lion in the hallway just outside the hangar.

"Come on old man," Lion-O threw back at him before heading into the hangar doors.

"Panthro! We gotta go! What are you doing?" Lion-O barked at the panther who was attempting to open the other undamaged Cat's Paw, which was the hangar's exit and where the Tank was stored.

"This side is stable. We're going to need the cover if everything goes sideways," Panthro barked back. The Cat's Paw opened slowly and quickly the panther jumped into the Tank. He opened the back hatch and Lion-O jerked his head toward the hatch and both he and the reptile climbed into the Tank.

"Hang onto your panties!" Panthro shouted back to them and then he gunned the engine. The ThunderTank shot out of the still opening Cat's Paw. Slythe looked a little greener than normal and Lion-O inwardly chuckled. The Tank cleared the Paw and headed for the drawbridge which was looking shaky.

"This is going to be close!" Panthro announced as the heavy vehicle sped across the concrete area in between the Paws of Cat's Lair. They bounced across the bridge and just as they crossed rumbling could be heard.

"Drive faster!" Slythe shouted. Panthro had the samoflange to the floor as the vehicle touched the grass on the other side of the moat, a larger rumbling could be heard, following by creaking, groaning, and finally snapping. The group on the other side of the moat looked on helplessly as the damaged Cat's Paw broke; the ground underneath it gave way and headed for the moat.

"Great Jaga's toothbrush!" Tygra couldn't believe it.

"It would seem the enemy has won the day," Mandora frowned; if only for a few seconds when they all heard the unmistakable sound of the Circus Train.

"So you intended to give us to the bounty hunter huh?" Slythe asked Lion-O as they exited the ThunderTank.

"It was meant for the Lunataks, unless you're offering to take their place…" the lion gave him a look.

"I think we both have unfinished business and it has nothing to do with each other, yesss?" The reptile wondered as the Circus Train came in for a landing. Mandora went up to the vehicle to speak to Captain Bragg.

"The enemy of my enemy is my friend?" Lion-O wondered.

"We both want them gone and we both want to see Mumm-Ra stay in his sarcophagus," Slythe pointed out.

"Somehow I think you want the last one more than we do. He'll be pissed if he knows you're helping us," the King said.

"What else is new?" Slythe chuckled. This made the lion laugh but something bugged him about the whole thing and he decided now was the best time to try to get it out of his enemy.

"Why do you hate the Lunataks so much? Aren't they cousins of the Mutants?" Immediately, Slythe's face dropped and the lion wondered if he'd just crossed some sort of line he shouldn't have.

"So are we having a party for Captain Bragg as he takes off with some prisoners or is he going to wait around for the three who left this mess?" Mandora approached them.

"If he wouldn't mind waiting, I think we have quite a bit of work to do before nightfall," the Lord of the ThunderCats said. That's when he noticed the Berbils, Wollos, and Balkans heading their way. Snowmeow's roar could be heard in the distance.

"Looks like we have some help though," Lion-O half-smiled.


	25. Chapter 25

At first, everyone was leery about having the Mutants there but no one said anything as Lion-O welcomed more of their allies. Willa, Queen of the Warrior Maidens, approached the edge of the drawbridge, where young King was standing, out of earshot of the Mutants.

"Lion-O, are you sure this is a good idea?" He knew exactly what she meant.

"They seem to literally hate the Lunataks and right now, with the Lair out of commission, we're going to need all the help we can get," the lion told her.

"I am sorry about the Lair. I'm not sure how much we can help but we will do whatever we can," Willa offered.

"Would you mind your ladies running security around here? With temporary structures being erected and no good warning system in place, we'll need to make sure no one crosses the drawbridge and that no one forgets the common decency we show each other. Cheetara is in no shape to fight and the only vehicle we saved is the Tank. We're stretched a little thin," he said.

"Afraid the Mutants will try to get into the Lair?" Willa asked.

"Their vehicles are literally out of gas. They need our Thundrillium which is why I suspect they were here in the first place," the lion told her.

"Consider it done. I hope Cheetara will be well again soon. She is a brave woman and I know that her being sidelined during all of this has to be hard," the Queen said.

"Oh it is. One of the many reasons I…" he trailed off, almost letting something slip.

"We all know how much you care for her," Willa winked and then headed to find her sister, Nada. The lion had thought he was keeping his emotions in check but perhaps not.

"So what is the plan whelp?" Slythe asked as he approached the ThunderCat.

"You want the truth or do you just want a placation?" Lion-O responded, staring at the damage done to the Lair and the mountain.

"Friendship is built on trust, is it not?" The reptile wanted to know.

"You mean the kind of friendship where you left the NoseDiver with more gas than the SkyCutters?" The young man decided to see just how his adversary would answer.

"You want the truth or do you just want a placation?" Slythe wondered.

"Touché," Lion-O smirked slightly.

"The truth is Monkian and Jackalman are barely capable of taking care of themselves. I cannot be a general and a nursemaid at the same time," the reptile said.

"A good leader is whatever his people need him to be, or so my father thought. He wore many hats from Lord of the ThunderCats, to King, to General, and to wise elder, all while being my nursemaid, when Snarf wasn't around. Days like today remind me how much I miss him," Lion-O admitted. Slythe gave him a look, unsure if the Thunderian was testing him or being honest. The reptile heaved a sigh and replied,

"Your father would be proud of you. It is the hope of every son to do his father proud and it is the wish of every father that his son does him proud. Trust me; you'll know the moment when you have let your father down." That's when Lion-O felt a hand on his shoulder. Slythe gave him a quick pat there before turning away and heading for the others.

"Hey Lion-O, dinner is almost ready. I bet you're hungry," Snarf said as he wandered up to his former young ward.

"Yes I am. How about you Snarf? Did you whip up something tasty?" Lion-O asked as he scooped up his friend.

"Snarf, snarf, I had some help from the Wollos and Balkans. Robear is busy with Tygra trying to figure out if the Lair is salvageable and Mandora is trying to get help from Evil Chaser headquarters via the Circus Train's radio," the nursemaid said as they headed back toward the group.

"Well I'm sure they could all use some food too," Lion-O smiled.

"I just hope we're going to be warm enough tonight," Snarf said.

"Just be glad it isn't winter," the King chuckled.


	26. Chapter 26

Mumm-Ra watched from his cauldron as the Mutants broke bread with the ThunderCats. The frown on his face hid the amount of growing rage. Not only did the Plundarrians not help the Lunataks, they were busy consorting with the enemy!

"Bark!" Ma-Mutt turned his master's attention away from the cauldron.

"What is it Ma-Mutt? Can't you see that I must plot the downfall of the Mutants?!" The mummy was in no mood.

"Bark!" Ma-Mutt repeated. Now, fully annoyed, Mumm-Ra left his cauldron and headed for the dog, only to watch the Horrible Hound run about ten feet away.

"You disturbed me and then you run away?" He growled.

"Bark!" Ma-Mutt continued his game until he reached the wall where an odd looking cartouche resided. It was much newer than the ones that originally resided on the Black Pyramid's walls.

"Ah you sly old devil…" Mumm-Ra could now see what the Horrible Hound was getting at.

"You're right Ma-Mutt, perhaps our old friend, Vultureman, would like to redeem himself. Ancient Spirits of Evil… Transform this decayed form to Mumm-Ra the Ever Living!" The mummy cackled and the Spirits did his bidding. Now completely transformed, he spoke the language of the Ancients and the cartouche began to move. Peeling himself from the wall he'd become a part of, Vultureman stood before his new master. Though before the Miserable Mummy, did not stand a living and breathing entity, only stone come to life.

"You want to become a Mutant again Vultureman?" Mumm-Ra asked. Vultureman nodded.

"Then go attack the ThunderCats and take your friends with them. They will see what happens when they fall out of my good graces," Mumm-Ra smirked, snapped his fingers, and Vultureman was gone.

"Now Ma-Mutt, it is time to visit the Lunataks again. They did not finish what they started and I'd like to know why," he said.

"Bark!" Ma-Mutt seemed to like that idea and the two headed out of the Black Pyramid and toward Dark Side.

Meanwhile, Mandora had joined the group after using the Circus Train's radio. She'd remained quiet during dinner and it didn't go unnoticed.

"Those Halflings make better food than our servants. Ooooh ooooh," Monkian spoke up.

"They do. Perhaps we need to borrow some of their recipes," Slythe said.

"You seem to think you're going to get out of this without any consequences," Mandora finally spoke up.

"Just making friendly chatter, nothing more. While Mutants may not advertise it, we do know a thing or two about manners," Slythe told her. That moment was quickly ruined by Jackalman burping.

"Well at least most of us do," the reptile heaved a sigh.

"Bahhhh Wooo! Bahhhh Wooo!" The Warrior Maidens' horns sounded.

"That can't be good," Panthro stood up from the table.

"Oh it most definitely is not!" Lion-O stood and pulled out the Sword of Omens, which had started growling just before the Warrior Maidens sounded the alarm, letting him know the danger was close by. That's when they heard shouting as Warrior Maidens tried to stand their ground against their foe.

"Charge!" Lion-O shouted.


	27. Chapter 27

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Debating whether to break this into two stories. Let me know your thoughts. Thanks for reading!

The ThunderCats and their allies were confronted by a larger than life stone statue that looked an awful lot like Vultureman. Lion-O shook his head before aiming the Sword at the stone creature and shouting,

"Ho!" Energy shot forth from the Sword and hit the stone Vultureman square in the chest. It knocked him down but not out.

"How are we going to defeat a stone Vultureman?" Tygra asked, trying to use his whip to attack the monstrosity.

"Every dent we make he just regenerates!" Pumyra was dumbfounded. Despite the fact that he was vastly outnumbered, Vultureman continued to press toward his enemies in an attempt to do as his master wished.

"Panthro!" Lion-O shouted as the sound of the Tank could be heard. The panther drove the Tank up the back of Vultureman's legs, knocking him down. The young lion moved in and quickly attempted to sever the stone head from the stone shoulders but he wasn't fast enough as his enemy tried to push the Tank off of him. That's when an energy blast from behind the ThunderCats surprised them. Lion-O turned and it proved to be Slythe with his blaster. Monkian and Jackalman were conveniently nowhere to be seen.

"Strap him down!" Slythe yelled as he continued to blast away. Panthro fired a net from the ThunderTank directly onto the top portion of Vultureman. The Warrior Maidens used their arrows and worked on cover every exposed square inch in rope as the ThunderTank secured itself on Mumm-Ra's newest minion's back.

"That should hold him," Ben-Gali smirked as he helped Panthro out of the Tank.

"If only for a little while. I wouldn't go to sleep until he's dealt with," Slythe told him.

"Let's get the wounded treated while we try to figure out what to do with him," Lion-O said to the group. The injured were scooped up off the field and carried to a medical tent that had been set up. The majority of those needing assistance were Warrior Maidens with a few Wollos and Balkans who had the unfortunate luck to be near when Vultureman had broken through the Warrior Maidens lines.

"So this is what Mumm-Ra did to him," Slythe shook his head.

"I don't think he's your friend anymore," Mandora spoke up as she approached the group.

"He barely was one before. He was the most competent Mutant I had. I see the other two managed to run away during the fight," the reptile frowned.

"So they did. I won't endanger anyone to go chase them," Lion-O said.

"It's not worth it. They won't survive the walk to Castle Plundarr anyway," Slythe shook his head and heaved a sigh. Lion-O gave Mandora a look and she nodded. It was obvious to them that the reptile was close to throwing in the towel; though why they really couldn't understand.

"So what do we do with him?" Panthro asked, jerking his thumb toward Vultureman.

"It might be time for a consult from a Wizard," Cheetara spoke up as Pumyra wheeled her toward the group.

"Wizz-Ra?" Lion-O asked.

"That's the only one I know," the cheetah said.

"How do go about doing that?" Pumyra asked.

"Good question," Lion-O frowned.


	28. Chapter 28

"This is either ballsy or stupid but I haven't figured out which yet," Panthro spoke up as he, Lion-O, and Slythe made their way into the Lair. The floor had yet to move under their feet but they had to be quick about what they were trying to do.

"I'd say stupid until we make it out of here successfully," Slythe smirked.

"No one else had any bright ideas," Lion-O pointed out.

"He's not wrong there," the reptile agreed.

"All right, Lion-O you grab the Book of Omens and we'll get the mirror. Meet you outside in five minutes," Panthro said as they reached the Artifacts room. The lion nodded and they split up.

"So since we're working together now, mind if I ask why?" Panthro attempted to make small talk with his former foe and current uneasy ally.

"I heard you guys had better cookies," Slythe smirked.

"Well that may be true but…" Panthro stopped in his tracks. The reptile looked at him and then looked down. The floor had broken apart by about two feet, requiring a leap to make it to the other side.

"How are we going to get a mirror over that?" Slythe asked.

"Very carefully. I can make the jump, can you?" Panthro wondered.

"This tail isn't for just looking pretty," the reptile told him. The panther jumped across and Slythe nimbly followed despite his size. Panthro nodded and they quickly found Cheetara's room – or rather what was left of it. The panther slung the pack off of his back and headed over to the cheetah's nightstand.

"The mirror is over here," Slythe pointed out.

"My ass will be grass if I don't grab this," the panther picked up a small ornate box from the nightstand and carefully put it into the pack. The box looked very old and Slythe wondered how Cheetara had come by it, given the circumstances of their arrival on Third Earth.

"From Thundera?" The reptile asked.

"Yes. It was the only thing she could grab before she left. I can't let it be destroyed now," the panther explained. Slythe only nodded, as if he understood. The two then moved to the mirror and lifted it up off the floor. Carefully they made their way back to the schism in the floor.

"Should one of us hop across and then the other hand the mirror over?" Slythe asked.

"Probably the safest thing to do," Panthro nodded.

"Then you first," the reptile said. Panthro quickly jumped across and then took the edge of the mirror that Slythe offered him. Slowly, the panther inched it along until it cleared the gap. Slythe made his way across and the two picked up the mirror again before heading down the hallway. Not far down, they met Lion-O.

"Good to go?" The lion asked.

"Yeah. Let's get out of here before the mountain changes its mind," Panthro said. The other two nodded and they moved along the hallway, until they reached the front door. Lion-O ushered them out and brought up the rear. They reached the bridge and the ground began to rumble.

"I suggest we make a break for it boys or we're in big trouble," Slythe said.

"Agreed," Lion-O said from behind him. As quickly as they could, the three began to cross the shaky bridge. Slythe and Panthro made it to the other side just before the edge of the drawbridge started to give way.

"Lion-O!" Panthro shouted as the ground beneath the lion's feet disappeared.


	29. Chapter 29

Ben-Gali was first to the ledge as Slythe and Panthro set the mirror down carefully. He peered over to find that Lion-O had sunk the blade of the Sword of Omens into the cliffside.

"Thank Jaga! Toss the Book up and then we'll pull you up!" The white tiger called to him.

"I'm not taking any chance of losing this Book! Get me up!" Lion-O shouted back. By now, Slythe and Panthro joined them at the ledge, trying to see if there was a way to get the lion up but he was too far down to reach without help. Footsteps could be heard from behind them and Willa lay down on her stomach to see over the ledge.

"Hang on Lion-O! Nada will be right here with some rope to throw down to you," the Queen told him. A few seconds after she said that, her younger sister peered over the edge before throwing the rope, which was looped on the end. The lion put the Book of Omens in the loop and tightened it.

"Pull up the book!" The King ordered. Once the Book was out of his hands, he put his hand into the Claw Shield and used it to grab the cliffside.

"How are your arms whelp?" Slythe asked.

"Tired but I can manage," Lion-O smirked.

"Don't be a hero. Here comes the rope," Panthro shook his head as the rope was tossed back down. Ben-Gali, Panthro, and Slythe pulled the lion up the side of the cliff and up and over the ledge.

"Let's not do that again," Lion-O lay on the ground, breathing heavily.

"Agreed," Panthro said.

"I hope almost dying was worth it," Slythe told them.

"Oh it is. We just need to get the mirror to Cheetara and the Book too," the lion said as Ben-Gali helped him sit up. Lion-O had some cuts and scrapes that needed attention.

"It's getting late so let's get to it. The more time that Vultureman has to think the more dangerous he becomes," Willa said. Panthro and Slythe lifted the mirror while Ben-Gali got Lion-O to the medical tent.

"What happened?" Cheetara asked as she saw Ben-Gali help the King into a chair. Pumyra grabbed the first aid kit and went to the lion.

"The drawbridge end collapsed. We may need to abandon Cat's Lair," Lion-O frowned.

"Did everyone make it?" Pumyra wanted to know.

"Thankfully yes. I was the last one off the bridge – it tried to take me with it though," he told them as Panthro and Slythe brought the mirror in. The two set it down near the wheelchair bound cheetah and Willa handed her the Book.

"Great Jaga! Lion-O!" Cheetara was obviously concerned.

"I'm fine. Besides I've been told that ladies like scars," he was trying to lighten the mood. For that Pumyra gave him a light smack on the shoulder and continued to work on bandaging

"We better get working on contacting your friend," Slythe said as the sound of blaster fire along with Mandora barking orders.

"We've never tried this before," the cheetah admitted. Opening the powerful book, she tried to find a section that would help them call Wizz-Ra but the answers only seemed to be in one place.

"I have to go into the Book don't I?" Lion-O gave her a look.

"I think so…" Cheetara made a face.

"Well then you better do it quick and we'll keep birdy on ice," Slythe winked. Lion-O heaved a sigh. He hated going into the Book of Omens but he didn't see any way around it. Putting the Sword up to his face, the Book sucked him in.

**T** **h** **e**   **E** **n** **d**

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Part Two comes next week! Hope you enjoyed it!


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